She wished that she hadn't grown up sleeping in and could be more awake in the morning! Because this time, this morning, she only barely remembered him scooting out of bed earlier than her and saying he'd leave the car for her to get to town. She hadn't even put up a fight! Just mumbled something incomprehensible, rolled over, and gone back to sleep. That was why she was truly alone when she finally woke up. And the first thing she intended to do when she got to town was march over to the shop and tell him that this couldn't continue! It might not have been much but she liked getting ready for work and driving into town with him, almost as much as she liked driving home and having a peaceful night alone with him! Now that they were working in two separate places she felt like she needed that small amount of connection they had. Not to mention the fact that if he didn't wake her up she would have to invest in an alarm clock and having him wake her up was always more pleasant than the blare of an alarm...

But the second she got to the library she had to put her plans on hold. On the one hand, she supposed that after his pronouncement to stay away from trouble she should be happy to see that they weren't standing at his door. On the other hand, even if it was only Ruby and David, she didn't know if she really wanted them to migrate to waiting outside her door instead.

"Ruby, David…can I help you?"

"Yes..." David sighed nearly with relief.

"Yes, but we wanted to help you first," Ruby responded, quickly holding her hand out to silence David and whatever he was about to say. Suddenly she held up a gift bag with balloons and confetti and "congratulations" written along one side. Ruby dangled it in front of her, and she couldn't help herself, she was intrigued. So, without further discussion, she opened the library door, secretly hoping and fearing this had something to do with the Snow Queen and Anna. She could do with another update by now.

"What uh, what's going on?" she questioned as she shut the door tight behind the pair of them. "Is it something with the Snow Queen again? Sarah Fischer? Or did that man say why he broke into the library?"

"Ah, no actually," David stated offering a disappointed sigh. "In all honesty, I've talked to the guy, and I think it was all just one big drunken misunderstanding-"

"And Emma?" she questioned, recalling what she'd said in the shop only a few days ago about her "super power" and how she'd confessed yesterday to continuously running into "Scarlett". "What does she think?"

She and David stared at one another for a moment, but it was all she needed to see the regret in his eyes that she'd asked that question. Clearly, Emma didn't think it was a drunken mistake. "Emma thinks he's hiding something and doesn't want to let him go until she knows what it is," he answered finally. "But in all honesty, Emma's a bit distracted at the moment with the Snow Queen. She was on the same track that the two of you stumbled onto yesterday. We couldn't find the name Sarah Fischer in the town census, so we're looking back in the records, taxes, order forms, property titles, and deeds. We know she was here for sure when the curse broke so somewhere in all that mess we'll find her or at the very least figure out when she arrived in Storybrooke. Hopefully, that'll lead us to…something," he shrugged.

Something. Well, she knew better than anyone that something was better than nothing. But she honestly wasn't sure how far they would get looking into records and researching. That was her job…was that why they were here?

"So what are you here for then?" she asked politely, looking between the two of them. "If it's not for Scarlett or the Snow Queen or Emma then what do you need?"

There was silence. Suspicious silence. Ruby looked at the ground, and David looked at Ruby with her eyes wide before he finally gave her a little nudge. Something was wrong.

"Well," Ruby sighed holding the gift bag out for her finally, "first thing's first. I know today isn't the opening you always had in mind, but I figured you at least needed something for your less-than-grand-opening."

She smirked at the thought of that. "You uh...you shouldn't have!" she finally choked out. "A Less Than Grand Opening". Yes, that name somehow suited her purposes quite well. Maybe even better than a grand opening would have! So what had Ruby gifted her with on this momentous occasion? She bit her lip as she moved tissue paper away, reached inside the bag for something hard and slim, and pulled it out. She beamed at the sight! "Opening Hours" the small blue sign read. "Monday-Friday 9AM-10PM, Saturday 10AM-8PM, Sunday 11AM-6PM".

"Now it's official!" Ruby smiled at her. "It's easy to put right on the door when you are ready to flip the 'closed' sign to 'open'!"

It was a simple sign. Nothing more than days and times but it felt like gold to her! Though looking down at some of those times, she could think of one "Gold" that might not be too pleased with closing time…and another that wouldn't be thrilled with opening even if her husband did stay around in the morning to wake her up.

"Nine to ten?" she questioned glancing at Ruby.

"Only on week days and I figured it wouldn't be long until you can hire some help for the later hours," Ruby smiled. "But I let you sleep in on the weekends and have Saturday and Sunday night for all the dating a newlywed might need."

She didn't have words. Or at least not words big enough for what she was feeling. In the midst of disaster and chaos, through good times and bad times and whatever was going on with Ruby right now, whether for purposes she'd originally intended or not she'd finally managed to open her library! And for only a few moments she allowed herself to be swallowed up with pride for all she'd managed to do! Then reached forward and wrapped her arms securely around her best friend because she knew that if she hadn't helped she certainly wouldn't have gotten here in two days! "Thank you!" she whispered against her.

"Don't mention it," she whispered back giving her back a little rub before releasing her. She couldn't have imagined a better reason to run into them this morning! This sign, simple as it was, was much better than a call to warn of destruction or ask her for research! But then again, Ruby had said first thing's first. There was more. She'd nearly forgotten David's desperate sigh for help when she'd initially asked if they needed something.

"So what was it that you needed help with?" she asked, suddenly feeling much more in the spirit of giving than she had only a couple of minutes ago.

"Well…" Ruby muttered timidly before taking a small step forward. "I did you a favor, and now I need one from you."

"Alright…" she muttered looking between the two of them. "What is it?"

"You're not the only one that needs Date Night," David muttered behind Ruby.

"What he means is that David wants to take Mary Margaret out tonight…without Neal. Ashley is busy helping Aurora out, and trust me she needs all the help she can get, Emma's busy tracking down the Snow Queen, Henry is…well, a kid, and after this afternoon I won't be able to do it anymore so I was thinking…"

"Oh…" she murmured, realizing what she was getting at. She was thinking that she could be the one to watch Neal. That while David and Mary Margaret were out she could…babysit. Had she ever actually babysat before? No, not formally, but…but why would she? Her life consisted of no brothers and sisters, servants galore to handle that sort of thing if it ever was needed. She'd led the life of a maiden's to a single master, a prisoner, and the wife of the Dark One. The closest she'd ever gotten to children was when Rumple brought a baby back to the castle, and she'd spent a few very stressful hours trying to figure out how to take care of it. And of course, her nearly grown up grandson! Step-grandson? Goodness half the time she still didn't know what to do about Henry. She'd had very little interaction with him when things were normal, interaction that lived and died with stumbling into him in the shop the other day. To think she'd believed that Rumpelstiltskin had to decide what kind of Grandfather he'd be, she still needed to decide what kind of Grandmother she'd be! A scary concept when she stopped to-

"So…" Ruby's voice burst through her rambling thoughts. "What do you think? Can you do it?"

"Oh, ah..." She supposed it was just babysitting in its most basic form. There was no teenager. No child. Just a baby. Baby's didn't need words or games they just needed someone to sit with them as they slept, change their diaper, and maybe feed them. That was all that Gideon had required. And certainly, it would be easier this time around! After all, Mary Margaret and David were prepared for the child and had all the necessary equipment at their apartment. That would be much easier than last time. Not to mention that at least this time around she'd know the baby's name. "Yes," she finally choked out. "Yes, of course, I can help."

"Really?" David questioned stepping a little closer to her. "You're sure it's not too much trouble."

"Yeah," she breathed realizing how ridiculous it was to be this nervous over watching a baby for the night! They did nothing but eat and sleep. Or did he know something that she didn't know? "Yeah, it's not a problem, I mean it's just a baby, right?! They sleep most of the time, don't they?"

David nodded slowly at first as if he was reviewing the last few weeks he'd had to confirm this. Sometimes it was easy to forget, this was really his first time being a father as well. "A large majority of their time is supposed to be spent sleeping, yes," he finally answered.

There. Easy enough! Go over to Mary Margaret's for the night. Watch a baby sleep. She could take books with her and do a little research there if she needed to. It wasn't a problem. So...what had the look been for? And...why exactly couldn't Ruby do it anymore?

"Wait, why-why can't you babysit? What's happening this afternoon?" She knew from the silence that followed that somehow she had just stumbled upon what they had been dancing around the last few days. "Ruby...is-is something wrong? I know you aren't telling me something so please just...just tell me! Maybe I can help."

Ruby opened her mouth and took a breath, but before words came out she turned to look at David who startled at the look and glanced around the library. "Right I'll...I'll give you some privacy," he muttered before disappearing into the stacks of the library. When Ruby looked back at her she saw tears in her eyes and suddenly her heart began to race. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong, Ruby didn't cry! And David giving them privacy.

"Ruby?"

"The, um...the last few days, the last few weeks actually, I've been working out in the bean fields with Anton, trying to harvest magical beans..." She nodded. Ruby had told her this in passing, but she honestly hadn't thought much of it at the time. Now...had she made a mistake. "We haven't been very successful, but...it hasn't been a complete failure either." She watched as Ruby reached into her pocket and from within it pulled out...a bean. So that's what she'd been hiding from her. A magical bean! A bean that could take anyone to a different world! And Ruby...

"I've been thinking a lot lately," Ruby went on suddenly, "since we got back from the Enchanted Forest...Ashley has Sean, and they have a baby. Aurora has Philip and...little Philip. Mary Margaret and David and Neal and now you have Rumpelstiltskin and...it gets lonely.

"And I'm not blaming you!" Ruby inserted quickly when she opened her mouth to apologize. "I'm not blaming you at all because I can see how happy you are, how happy he makes you and it makes me happy, truly I'm so, so very happy for you! Now...now I want the chance to do the same. I want to find my own match, someone like me, someone...not human. And there's no one like that here in Storybrooke. Trust me I've looked," Ruby smirked as if trying to make a joke but she couldn't see the humor in it because finally, she could see what she had wanted to talk to her about, what she's wanted to tell her, what had her so depressed and distant over the last few days.

"You're leaving Storybrooke," she whispered in shock, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Ruby nodded and when she blinked she began to cry with her.

"I've been meaning to for a while now," she confirmed. "I told Granny nearly two weeks ago and Mary Margaret the night of the coronation and I meant to tell you then too but with the wedding and how happy you were...I figured I'd give it another day and then Elsa and the Snow Queen happened and I just couldn't...I couldn't leave everyone like that, but...I had another talk with Granny last night after you told me you were going to open and she-we decided that I can't stay forever or keep making excuses. It will never be the perfect time to go just the right time so...so we decided that everything was together and today is the day..."

She had never seen Ruby cry before now, and there was no doubt that she was crying, her shoulders shook, and her chin wobbled. The pair reached out for one another and held on tight as they both wept. Her friend was leaving. The best friend she had besides Rumple was going away. First Neal and now Ruby? She'd gained a husband, and she was happy about that but Ruby...

"You were the first friend I made here," she whispered against her as she cried. "You took me in and helped me in ways I can't ever pay you back for!"

"I know," she felt Ruby nod through a sob before she pulled away and wiped some tears from her cheeks and offered a sad, but still genuine smile. "But you don't need me anymore. You do just fine on your own. You're not the same girl that once wandered into the diner but...I feel like I haven't moved since the curse broke...and I'm ready. I'm ready to have an adventure of my own, to find more of my own kind, more people who need me.

"It's permanent. Once I'm gone it's almost certain I won't be able to get back and if you really don't want me to go I won't but-"

"No!" she cried shaking her head. No, she didn't want her to go but...but she wanted her to stay here at her request even less than that. Ruby was right. Permanent or not she could not just be the sidekick forever. She needed to have her own adventures, find her own path, decide her own fate and if she felt that she has to leave Storybrooke for good? If she had to go back to the Enchanted Forest and dig up her roots by herself? Then that was what she had to do.

"No, you should go," she sniffled. No matter how much she tried she just couldn't paint a smiled on her face at this declaration, even if she was happy for Ruby. Happy or not...the truth was simple. "I'm happy for you and I hope that you find...I hope that you find every happiness the world has to offer! But I won't deny it...I'm going to miss you so much," she admitted sadly, letting more tears cascade down her cheeks.

Ruby nodded and her false smile faltered one last time. "I'm going to miss you too," she cried before they fell into each others arms once more and treasured their last moments alone.

So, obviously this chapter has been edited. Originally it ended much farther back and was fairly short, after 5x09 aired I had to get rid of Ruby and this was just how I chose to do it. It's been edited again for 6x09; I hope that everything looks alright and I captured the emotions of Ruby's departure just right. I know that Ruby seems a lot more upset here than she did when she told Mary Margaret but...in my mind it's because she now knows it's immanent. I mean...when I visit friends and family we talk about my departure all the time, but it's not until the morning of or I'm at the airport that we both break into tears. Besides...Belle and Ruby, I felt that they had something different than Mary Margaret and Ruby had. I felt like Snow and Ruby were always like sisters, equals, there for each other to the very end, but with Belle...I always thought that Ruby would feel a little more responsible for her than she would for Snow and so saying good-bye to her would be a bit more emotional. I don't know, you let me know what you think!

Thank you to Teresa Martin, Meredith Pechta, Paige Jillian, Raizen Yusuke, Deweymay, Rumbellefan, Ladybugsmomma, and Kagi-chan2 for your awesome reviews of the last chapter. I hope that you'll find this one up to par even with the additional edits! Peace and Happy Reading!